Is it possible to begin with cleaning the Greek tube and to end up as an MEP? The answer is: Bulgarian Kostadinka Kuneva. She became a symbol of the Greek trade union fight, when she was attacked with acid in 2008. Six years later the voters used the preferential option and placed Mrs. Kuneva 4^th out of 6 MEPs elected from the Greek SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left. The political formation won the EP election in our southern neighbor.

“I see this as a result from the love of people,” Kostadinka Kuneva said for RB. “They prove this every moment, as I receive many greetings and best wishes. Besides that, I started to receive many offers for joint work, in order to be helped to achieve what we dream of…”

Kostadinka Kuneva is born in the Danube town of Silistra and graduated history with the Veliko Tarnovo University. She wanted to work in Bulgaria, but her destiny appeared to be sending her to Greece. The reason – her small son Emanuil had a heart disease and a very complicated surgical intervention was necessary. The mother saw the best options in Germany, the Czech Republic or Greece. Thus 2001 turned out to be a faithful year for Kostadinka. She went to Greece with her son, as the Onassis foundation had agreed to pay for the treatment. Due to the worsened condition of Emanuil, he couldn’t undergo the surgical intervention. So, Kostadinka started to work as a cleaning woman in the tube of Athens.

“I couldn’t think of a qualified job, while my child was sick and his life was endangered,” Kostadinka says. “I can guess that many Bulgarians feel the same due to pressing poverty. This makes them go abroad, in order to help their families. However, they should step outside with the confidence of being valuable persons. No one of us deserves to be underestimated or humiliated.”

That was what Kostadinka did, when she found out that her employer had no respect for the rights of employees. She entered the local syndicate and became its secretary. She didn’t think of the threat she received and continued with the fight. Then, in a December evening of 2008 she was attacked with acid. The woman received afterwards the support of the whole of Greece, while she was struggling for her life. Hundreds scanned underneath the windows of the hospital: “Kostadinka, you are not alone! We are with you!” The Bulgarian is really thankful to all those, who have supported her ever since. She has undergone many surgeries, but she has really bad and irreversible injuries. She has been treated in France for three and half years. Her son is with her, and his condition is good. Kostadinka is proud of his successes at school, while waiting for another intervention. She gave the example that an MEP seat can be taken with no budget, generous donors and an organized vote. How do you do a campaign without a single euro?

“I couldn’t figure it out. People did it with their love,” Kostadinka admits. “I don’t have information on what exactly happened. I was in Paris for a surgery. On the next day after the stitches’ removal I went to Greece. Those were the last days before the EP elections. People in the streets were hugging and kissing me, especially women, who cried too. Then I realized that Greeks from across Europe had organized online and had campaigned for me. I could only write and answer journalist questions from my home.”

Kostadinka had hardly ever seen herself as a politician, and a European one, but sometimes fate cannot be foreseen. After a series of refusals to the offers of many Greek parties, she decided to take the one of SYRIZA.

“I did it because it is a coalition of leftist parties, who have the idea to support the employee, to deal with the problems of the population and not only with economics and companies,” Kostadinka explains. “They have different ideologies, but manage to work together. Nobody has the obligation to vote in a certain manner and the atmosphere is really good. I cannot fit any frameworks on thoughts or votes and that is the link between us.”

The victory of the Bulgarian is a real triumph for Vox populi, giving an example to Europe how politicians should be elected. “My goal is to defend people with poor social status, migrants included,” says Kostadinka Kuneva – the first Bulgarian MEP elected from another country.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev